Electric switch



Aug. 3l, 1943.

ELECTRIC SWITCH Fied Aug. 5, 1939 M @if 2 4Sheets--Shee'lz 1 Aug. 31, 1943. G. A.A LENNHOLM ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Aug. 5. 19.39

2 sheets-sneek 2 Patented ug. 31, 1943 Gusav A. Lennnoim, Detroit, Mich.,

Detroit, Mich., a corpora- Square D Company, tion of Michigan assignor to Application August 5. 1939, serial No. 288,506 s claims. (ci. zoe-sv) '.'l'his invention relates to apparatus forA making and breaking electric circuits and more particularly to electric switches having a snap action.

An object of this invention is the provision o1' a snap switch having improved construction and operation.

Other objects and features of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled `in the art from the specification and appended drawings illustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

vent lateral movement of said terminal member I5. The rotation of stud yI6 into the threaded insert I3 forces the terminal member I5 against Figure 1 is an elevational sectional view of the switch according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the V`line lI--II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similarl to Figure 1 but showing the parts in the on position.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective exploded view showing certain of the main operating parts..

The switch, according to the present invention, embodies a base I carrying upstanding wall portions 2 andv I thereupon, and with a cover 4 sealably secured thereto by studs 5 passing through said wall portions 2 and 3 and threaded into said cover I. The studs 5 are sealed in po- Sition by illling in with wax the base recesses in which the head portions of said Studs are disposed. A U-shaped supporting member 6 is mounted upon the back of base I adjacent the wall portion l. The wall 3 is cut away as at 1 providing a slot into which the bight o f said U- shaped member 6 is received, said slot 1 serving to guide the member 6 into position and to prevent lateral movement of said member while in position.` A contact element B is secured to les 9 ot the member and acts as the stationary contact of the switch. The second leg II of said U-shaped member 8 is disposed adjacent the base I within a slot I2 cut-therein, said slot I2 thus similarly to slot 1 serving to guide the member l into position and prevent lateral movement of said member while in position. Said member 8 the base and carries the insert I3 downwardly to bring the rim lportion- I4 of said insert down tightly upon the back `oi' leg II. Thus rotation of the stud IE into the insert I3 serves to securely`hold both the supporting'member 6 and the terminal member I5 to the base. Said stud I6 also serves to secure a Ilead in wire to the switch, said wire to be clamped between the head of said stud and the terminal member I5.

Mounted at the opposite end of base I is an elongated threaded metallic insert I1, having an extended rim-like portion I8 generally centrally thereof, which portion is received within a. recess I9 provided by base I and lies in abuttingrelation with the back of said base. Carried upon the inner extremity ofisaid insert is a' bearing or supporting member 2i of a generally H-shape .andi a contact arm 22 formed of a thin leaf spring. A stud 23 is passed through openings in contact member 22 and in said bearing arm 2I and is threaded into the insert I1 to thereby secure said members to said insert. -The contact arm 22 is provided with an elongated opening 24 generally centrally thereof and of a suilicient size that the upstanding wall portions 2 and 3 may extend therethrough and not interfere with movements of said contact arm. A contact element 25 is mounted upon the free end of said contact arm 22 and cooperates withthe stationary contact to make and break a circuit thereis held rigidly in place" within its guide slots 1 the'exterior, the inner extremity of said insert through. The opposite extremity of said contact arm 22 is cut away as at 26 to receive the bent up portion 21 of the bearing member 2| whereby said contact arm is properly positioned and lateral movement prevented. A terminal member 28 similar to terminal member I5 is secured to the outer extremity of insert I1 by a stud 28 and is receivable within a recess in base I to prevent lateral movement thereof. Rotation ofsaid stud 29 into the threaded insert I1 moves the terminal member 28 into abutting relation with the base I and moves said insert downwardly to bring the rim. I8` down tightly against the base I within the recess I9 lto thus positivelyfposition said insert I1-y and said terminal` member 28. 'I'he stud `2l and terminal member 28 also cooperate to secure a cable terminal end to said The ybearing member 2I is provided with a pair of legs 3| with each of said legs carrying a D'alr of V-shaped bearing seats l2, disposed on oppo- -upper position and .link and the same horizontal plane but it is not neces- -sary to the invention that they all be disposed in the same plane. A generally U-shaped lever member 33 carrying knife edges 34 at the extremities of its leg members 35 cooperates with the left V seats 32 as viewed in Figures 1-3. A second lever member 36 having knife edges 31 disposed at the extremities of its leg members :dts within the V seats disposed upon the right hand edges of said legs. Extensions 39 .are provided upon each of the levers 34 and 36, disposed adjacent the knife edges thereon to properly position the knife edges within their cooperating V seats and to prevent lateral movement of' said knife edges out of said V seats.

The levers 34 and 36 are joined together for mutual action-by means of springs 4| connected to hook-like projections 42 carried by said levers at their outer extremities. The freeend of the contact arm 22 extends through an Yopening 43 provided by a flange 44 disposed at the outer extremity of lever 36, thusfurnishhig a lost motion connection between said arm 22 and said lever 36. `A compression spring. 45 is disposed between the interior face of the base and the free or cuter extremity of the lever 34, the spring seats for said spring 45 being a recess 46 within the base I and a recess 41 formed in the lever 34.

The lever 34 is actuated by an operating pin 48 extending through aligned openings in the bearing member 2|, the contact arm 22 andthe cover 4 to the exterior andhaving an annular headed portion 49 at its inner extremity in`\abut ting relation with said lever 34. 'I'he headed 'p'ortion 49 is of a greater diameter thanv the openings through which the stem of the -pin 48 extends thus preventing the removal of said pin from the switch. r

'I'he force of the above said compression spring 45 is sufficiently strong to continuously bias the lever 34 into its uppermost position. The biasing of lever 34 upwardly positions the line of force of lever springs 4| above the pivot points of both the levers 34 and 36 and the force of said lever springs 4| causes the/ lever 36 to also be biased into its uppermost position. The resiliency of contact arm 22 ltends to move itto its the contact element 23 carried thereon is brought into closed circuit position with stationary contact 8, thus providing a switch in which-,the contacts are normally biased closed.

'Thev switch is loperated through the actuation of the operating pin 48. Through the abutting engagement of the headed portion 49 with the lever 34, movement wisedirection against the force of spring 45. The rotation of lever 34 will carry the lever springs 4| downwardly andv when the. line of force of said springs 4| passes the pivot points of the lever 3 6, said lever 36 will be moved downwardly `with a snap motion under the action ofsaid spring force. Through the lost motion connection between the the contact arm, the snap .movement of the lever 36 will cause the flange 44 of,lever 36 to strike the contact arm with a hammer blow, insuring a quick disengagement c the contacts to thus prevent arcing. Uponwthe release .of the operating pin 43, thespringis'again permitted to act and it forces lever 34' upwardly, carrying of the pin 43 downwardly will cause said lever 34 to rotate in a counter-clock- 22 to thus engage the contacts 8 and 25 in a p make.

upwardly and to snap with them the contact arm quick While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent tofthose skilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretationfwithin the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In an electric switcha stationary contact, j

a thin leaf spring with a contact supported thereon and movable thereby to move to engaged and disengaged position with said stationary contact, a support for said leaf spring, conducting means securing said support in position, terminal means disposed upon an extremity of said conducting means. a bearing member, a plurality of bearing seats, disposed thereupon, a lever member associated with said bearing seats ,and having a lost motion connection with said leaf spring, spring means operatively connected to said lever member, and means operable to move said spring means through* dead center position including a second spring means continually exerting its bias to tend to move said movable contact toward engaged position.

2. In an electric switch, a stationary contact, a thin leaf spring supported at one end and having a contact disposed upon its free end movable to engage and disengage with said' stationary contact, a bearing member, leg portions integral therewith, a plurality of V-shaped bearing seats thereon, a lever member, a plurality of knife edges carried by said lever member and received by said V-shaped bearing seats, said lever member having la bent portion with an opening therethrough through which the free end of said leaf spring extends to thereby provide a lost motion .connection between said leaf spring and said 3. In an electric switch, a stationary contact,

a movable contact, Aa; thin leaf spring movable to move said movable contact to engaged and disengaged position, a bearing member, leg portions thereon, a plurality of V-shaped bearing seats provided by said-leg portions, a lever member having a lost motion connection with the leaf spring'and carrying a plurality of knife edge portions at one extremityd for cooperation with said V-shaped bearing seats, ngerlike means carried by said lever member to retain said knife edges within the V seats, spring means operatively connected t'osaid lever member, a second spring means operable toposition the line of force of said first spring means above said V- shaped bearing seats, and operating means operable to move said line of force of said rst spring means below said V-shaped bearing seats to move said lever with a snap action.

4. In an electric switch, a stationary contact, a movable contact, a-thin leaf spring actuable. to move said movable contact to engaged and disengaged positions, a-supporting member, lever the line of force of the toggle springs 4| past the y Amembers oppositely disposed thereagainst, a bent portion upon the first of said levers having an opening through which the leaf spring extends.

spring means interconnecting 'the lever members.

means operable to actuate the second lever member, a spring'seat upon said second lever member, a .second spring. means receivable within 'said spring seat and exerting itsbias to move said second lever member into its uppermost position.

. 5. `In an electric switch, a stationary contact, a thin leaf spring supported at-one end, a-contact disposedupon the free en d of said leaf spring and movable thereby into engaged and disengaged position, al supporting `member,A leg portions thereon, oppositely disposed v-shaped bearing.

seats upon each oiV said `leg portions. a plurality of lever members, knife edges carried bysaid 4lever members and receivable by said V-shaped seats, means carried by said lever member for retaining said knife edges closely odiaoent their respective V seats, one of said lever members having means thereon whereby a lost v motion connection ishad with said lea! spring.l spring means connecting said lever members,

operating means to actuate said `spring means to cause said movable contact to move with a snap gaged position.

supporting' said movable contact and movable to move said'contact into engaged and disengaged position. a second supporting member, a conducting member, means securing both said resilient contact arm and said second :supporting member to said conducting member, terminal means carried upon the extremity of saidconducting member and disposed at the exterior of said enclosure, a lever member pivotally supported by said second supporting member and having a lost motion connection with said resilient contact arm. a second lever member, spring means interconnecting said lever members, means operable to actuate said spring means to move said movable contact to disengaged position with a snap action and means normally biasing said movable contact into en- 8. An electric switch comprising an enclosure,

a cover sealably secured thereto, a stationary action to disengaged position and a second spring meansA operable to normally bias the movable contact into engaged position.

6L In an electric switch, a stationary contact, a thin leaf spring supported atone end and having the other end free to move, a` contact dismeans above dead center position, and means operable to move said second lever member .downwardly against the bias of the said second spring meansto carry the line of force ofv the. rst spring means ,below dead center position.

7. An electric 'switch'comprising an enclosure,

- a cover sealably secured thereto, a stationary contact. a supporting member therefore, a conber within the enclosure, terminal means carned-upon the extremity of said conducting mem- 'ber and-disposed at the exterior of said enclosupporting member, a conducting means securcontact, a supporting member therefore, guide slots provided by said enclosure to position said ing said supportingmember within the enclosure, terminal means carried by said conducting means at the exterior of said enclosure, a thin leaf spring, a contact movable thereby to engage and disengaged positions. a bearing member, a second supporting member tofsvhich both said thin leaf spring and saidl bearing member are secured, terminal means carriedv by said second supporting member at the exterior thereof, leg portions provided upon said bearing member, pairs of v shape bearing seats oppositely disposed on each of said leg portions, a lever memq ber having lost motion connection with said thin ducting member securingsaid supporting memleaf spring, knife edges upon said lever member,

a second lever member having knife edges thereupon, the'knife edgesof said lever members be- .ing receivable by said v-shape bearing seats,

means carried by said lever members disposed adiacentseach V-seat to prevent latral movement of said lever members, means operable to actuate said lever members with a snap action and a second spring means normally exerting its bias upon said second lever member to move it to its uppermost poition to normally main- 'tain the-line of force of said first spring means above dead center position.

ous'rav A. Luminous.

sure, amovable contact, a resilient contact arm 

